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by bookworm03



Series: Adult Relationships [14]
Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Alternate Universe, Best Friends, Christmas, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Marriage, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-08 20:23:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5511851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookworm03/pseuds/bookworm03
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being married sort of feels like coming home. Post-college best friends AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> This is something I have sort of had done for a while and been sitting on. It's kind of the final part in the Adult Relationships series but can be read as a standalone, though I do recommend reading them in order to fully appreciate the build up. 
> 
> Angst and fluff, mostly fluff for a change. 
> 
> Comments/kudos are love! Merry (almost) Christmas, if you celebrate!

He can’t stop staring at his ring.

In fact, the only time he does stop looking at it or thumbing it is when his wife’s in front of him with a big smile suggesting this is the happiest she’s ever been.

Now he kisses her flushed cheek and runs his hands over her arms. She’s been puttering around the hotel room in a little black dress and he’s already suggested three times they skip his office Christmas party. Not that he's objectifying her or anything or he’s in love with her _because_ of how she looks in a little black dress, but he can _appreciate_ how his wife looks in a little black dress…

And how she looks out of it.

Neither of them have brought up the fact that he’d originally planned on taking someone else to his party and that the room had been booked with them in mind, because it’s irrelevant. In one week he’d gone from secretly pining over his best friend to married to her and going on a honeymoon in the New Year, so no, it really didn’t mean anything that he’d originally got a hotel room for a night with someone else. They both knew who he’d secretly wished the night was with anyway and that’s his wife now, so who cares? 

He’s been married for a week. One awesome week. They’re already looking at a new house they could call “theirs” and buy furniture for, and he’s definitely going out with the Parks department next week after their last day of work before the holidays…

Actually, he probably would've gone to that anyway. But it’s different. If Chris was like “Hey Ben, should we go grab a beer or some algae shots next Wednesday” Ben would be like “oh sorry, can’t, it’s my wife’s work Christmas thing…”

She catches him smiling as she searches for her lipstick and gives him a little grin back.

“We could just stay here,” he winds his arms around her waist. He can’t stop touching her, not that he thinks he should. He’s spent so long wanting to touch her like this, freely, that he’s milking every second of it. It’s been two weeks together after way too long of secretly wishing they could be; he can go a little heavy on the PDA.

Not that their hotel room counts as ‘P’, but he just…

Really cannot stop touching her.

She rolls her eyes at him in the mirror and twists back to kiss him. God, he really loves kissing her. And doing other stuff too - a lot - but he loves their affection extending to kisses now. He loves that he comes home - to _their home -_ from work and he just gets to kiss her because he feels like it. He loves that already it would be weird not to kiss her at least twenty times a day.

His wife reaches for her lipstick. The red one that’s going to stain his mouth and possibly leave marks on his collar.

“We cannot, you’re getting a big award for being the best accountant in the state.”

More like at his company and mostly because he’s fairly certain Barney campaigned for him for six months after he solved one account trust issue no one else could figure out. His wife likes to exaggerate.

“And the sexiest accountant in the state,” she turns around, one hand holding his lapel while the other squeezes his butt. He squawks and jumps, swatting her hands away. It had taken all of four days in Chicago for everything to feel natural and Ben and never been more glad to take a vacation. By the time they were checking out of the hotel people were asking how long they’d been together before they got engaged and had Leslie seen it coming.

She’d just grinned at him like it was the best secret in the world.

“It’s not that big a deal.” 

“It’s a super big deal and we’re going to go and you’re going to practice introducing me to people as your wife because it’s only been a week and I’m not tired of hearing you say it yet.” 

That’s the current game they’re playing that they aren’t supposed to tell anyone about (Ann totally knows, he’s not that naive) because they’ve already been called insufferable multiple times. Every night while getting ready for bed they rank their current top three times they’d called each other “husband” and “wife” respectively.

Hers are always when he made a point to do it and he definitely made a point to do it because it kept making her beam. He came to see her for lunch one day and said “Oh, hey Ron, I’m just here to see my _wife_ ”. That was her number three. Number two was when he said it to Henry (that was one of the times he was called insufferable) three days after their wedding when asked about their Christmas plans, “Oh yeah, the wife and I will probably just do Christmas Day alone” to which Henry had replied “Can you just call her Leslie, loser? I know who your wife is”. Number one was the day they got married and were lying in bed that night and he kissed her and said “night wife, I love you” and she said those were the best five words ever uttered. And a million times better than Shakespeare, apparently.

Ben’s top three are kind of the opposite. He likes it when it comes out unintentionally, as if it's just so automatic to roll off her tongue. Number three was when they were at Marlene’s for dinner and meeting her new boyfriend and Leslie introduced him as “my husband, Ben” like it was the most casual sentence, her cheeks colouring just a little. The second time was when she was on the phone with a travel agent talking about their honeymoon destination options and said “oh, my husband wouldn’t be interested in that” (he still had no idea what the location had been, but his heart fluttered regardless). His favourite was when he heard her in her - _their,_ god, that was still weird - bedroom on the phone with someone talking about Christmas presents and the phrase “no no, that’s fine, I’ll pay the express shipping; it needs to be here before Christmas, it’s a surprise for my husband”.

Yeah, that one might’ve made him a little weepy eyed.

Her fingers drag across his cheek, snapping him out of his reverie with the soft brush of her lips. He presses back and she exhales into him and adds a little pressure

“No,” she pats his chest. “No, we’re not doing that. We’re going.”

 He groans just a little when she yanks him by the hand out the door. 

Ahh well, he couldn’t whine too much. He had her all to himself at home every night.

******

“Shhhhh,” Leslie giggles into Ann’s arm as they stumble up the stairs. “We have to be quiet or we’ll wake up Ben.”

“It’s _so weird_ you’re married. I feel like we had no time to get used to the idea…”

“I know,” Leslie grins conspiratorially. “It’s crazy.”

“Like, Les,” Ann grabs her face. “We have to be quiet or we’re going to wake up your husband and your husband is _Ben_. That’s so weird. I’ve known you both forever and that’s so weird to think about.”

“But awesome weird,” Leslie’s not sure if that’s what Ann means but it’s a thousand percent what she means. Being married to Ben is awesome. She wakes up every morning and he’s in the bed to cuddle, whining about sleeping longer and trying to coerce her into staying beside him with sleepy kisses. He cooks most of the meals and texts her adorable, romantic things and she’s just…it’s easily the happiest she’s ever been.

“What’s he like to live with? Is he gonna be mad if we wake him?”

“No,” Leslie tip toes into the guest bedroom and turns on the light. She wakes Ben up all the time and he growls and then snuggles, that man is all bark and no bite when it comes to her. Ann flops on the bed and she follows. “He hasn’t really gotten mad at me for anything yet. Sometimes we argue about stuff for a few minutes, but then we just - ”

“Ew, yup got it.”

“It’s not ew!”

“To me it is,” Ann grins. “We should get water. I’ll do that, go check on your husband.”

Leslie’s practically cackling as she rolls away and somehow maneuvers herself across the hall. Ben appears to be sleeping when she enters the room, on his side with his nose pressed into a pillow and his hair everywhere. She climbs onto the bed over him with a giggle and he sighs when she hovers.

“Hey,” he yawns and rubs her back, eyes still closed. He smiles when she kisses him lightly. “Have fun?”

“Uh huh,” she drapes around him and sighs, Ben’s calm breathes soothing her. “Ann’s here.”

“I know, I heard you come in,” he chuckles when she starts kissing all over his face and nuzzles his neck.

“How was your night?”

“Mhm, fine, watched Blade Runner,” he rolls gently until she’s under him and snuggles up. Leslie sighs. Coming home to Ben, to their bed, is her favorite part of being married already.

“I have to get back to Ann Perkins.”

“Uh huh,” he murmurs into her neck. “Just one minute, babe.”

God, rumpled and sleepy Ben is a really great Ben. It’s the only Ben that makes her want to sleep too. Post-sex Ben is also a great Ben and as his hands slide down to her butt Leslie recalls the quickie they’d had against the dresser before she went out to meet Ann.

 _Mhmmmm_ that was another pro of being married. Not that she was making a pro/con list or anything.

“How was your night?” he murmurs. 

“Good. Ann got three phone numbers.”

“Wow,” his lips slide down her throat. “How many did you get?”

“One, but I think he was just hitting on me because I was married.”

“Ohhhhh,” he kisses down to her breast. She cackles. “That guy. That guy likes sharing the bed with you. Maybe Ann won’t notice if you bunk with him instead - ”

“I’ll notice,” Ann calls from the door. “You guys are gross, and I resent that you’re in my spot, Wyatt.”

Ben grunts and rolls off her.

“Hi Ann. It’s my spot.” God, they really antagonize each other like brother and sister sometimes.

“Uh, no,” Ann stumbles into the room and the bed shifts under her weight as she settles on the other side of Leslie. “You’re in my spot. That is where I sleep when we…” Ann trails off and Leslie knows why.

“Wait, no it’s not. I’m usually on this side. Why…”

“You have different spots,” Leslie murmurs, eyes feeling heavy now from the margaritas. Ben palms her hip and she can’t bring herself to move. “Ben always sleeps on this side and you sleep on that one.”

“Oh…why?”

He palms his face adorably. “It’s _my side_. This is my bed too. Our bed. You’re in _our bed_.”

“ _Leslie's_ bed is way comfier than the one in the guest room,” Ann shifts onto her back. “It’s Leslie’s bed and It’s not fair. I’ve been sleeping in _Leslie’s bed_ since I was seven.”

She’s pouting. Drunk Ann pouts more than usual sometimes. Leslie smiles as Ben’s arms wrap around her and tug her back towards him.

“Fine, sleep here then. I don’t give a fuck, just be quiet.”

 _Oh_ , Mr. Wyatt is getting cranky now, because he’s tired and Ann is refusing to acknowledge that this is their wonderful, happy marital bed. Leslie glances back and reaches for his hand.

“Sorry,” she kisses his nose. “We’ll be quiet.”

Group best friend cuddles sound better anyway. Ben sleeping against her back while she chats quietly to Ann is the perfect end to the evening. Ben nods and exhales into her. Ann squirms closer.

“This is ridiculous.”

“It’s a cuddle sandwich,” she whispers through a yawn. Ann yawns too and reaches out a hand, which Leslie squeezes. “It’s fun. Isn’t it? We should do these _all_ the time.”

“ _No,_ ” Ann and Ben in unison. Leslie growls.

“Ann has a house,” Ben grumbles. “She should sleep there ninety-nine percent of the time.”

“We should've gone to my place tonight. We still can, Les - ”

Ben whines and mumbles something about his _wifey pillow_ staying here. Ann makes a gagging noise and Ben snaps about being quiet again. Leslie bites down a laugh at _wifey pillow._ Her husband is super ridiculous sometimes.

“ _You_ can go sleep in the other room,” Ann informs him tacitly. Ben jolts upright, hair sticking up everywhere.

“Good lord, this is _my bed_. Get over it. And, I was already asleep - ”

“Ohhhkay,” Leslie sits up and rubs his shoulders. “I’m sorry, we’re sorry. We’ll be quiet. Don’t be mad. I love you. Lie down.”

Ben grumbles and flops back onto his pillow, tugging her with him and rubbing her side. Leslie grins and Ann smiles at the ceiling and shuts her eyes. They’re all silent for a few minutes as Ben’s breathing levels out and it seems like he's finally asleep.

“I love him so much, Ann,” she whispers. Ann murmurs and stretches out to rub her arm. 

“I know you do. You have forever,” she licks her lips. “Why does he like that side?”

“He likes being closer to the door.”

“Why?”

“Mhmmph,” Ben squirms. “So the bad guys get to me first.”

Ann snorts and leans in to giggle. “Your husband is ridiculous.”

“Uh huh,” Leslie beams, so ecstatic she could burst. “He really is.” 

“But he loves you so much too.”

Ben nodded against her back and this time Leslie does squeak.

“Guys, it’s just like camping, like that time we went camping. Remember? We had fun - ”

“Shhhhhh,” Ann and Ben in unison. Leslie grins.

 _Just_ like camping.

******

Leslie giggles and climbs on top of him. The only light in the room is the warm glow of the fire they’re currently lying in front of and the bulbs on the Christmas tree in the corner.

“See?” he cracks his back as she kisses down his neck. “Isn’t this a nice way to spend Christmas?’

The house still smells like sugar cookies and gingerbread and she still tastes like icing when he finds her lips.

“Uh huh,” she sighs into his chest and drapes over him. “It’s perfect.”

He pokes her. “You’re not tired are you?”

“Noooooo, there was just a lot of egg nog,” she sighs and cuddles him. “Husband?”

“Yes, wife?”

“This time last year you kissed me under mistletoe.”

“I did do that,” he rolls gently until she’s lying on his arm. The fire casts her in a warm, orange glow that makes her eyes seem unnaturally blue. It had been at her Christmas party for work and Tom had obnoxiously pointed out they were standing under mistletoe together and Ben had dipped down and pecked her lips noisily before anyone could make a big deal out of it.

Three people had told him that kiss was “lame”. Not this year.

“Mhmmm,” she palms his head when his lips slide over hers. “We should sleep down here.”

Ben lifts up and blinks. “On the floor, when there’s a nice bed upstairs with our name on it.”

She giggles and nods, tugging his mouth back to hers. Ben sighs and brushes her hair back.

“Ugh, we have dinner with my dad tomorrow.”

“Henry will be there,” she strokes his hair soothingly. “We won’t stay late and you can slip me your scotch so they think you finally learned how to drink real alcohol - ”

She cackles when he tickles her sides.

“Cute.”

“I am. I’m very cute.”

“And did you remember what we agreed?”

“No presents. The honeymoon is our present to each other.”

“Is that why there’s three things under the tree with my name on them?”

She pouted. “Beeeeeen, I had to get you something.”

“Three things.”

“You…you didn’t have to get me a present because my ring is my present, so…there, see? I’m not upstaging you. Marrying you was my present.”

Ben sighs, feigning exasperation even though he’d totally known this would happen. Which was why he had a package hidden under the bed with _her_ name on it.

“I still feel like I need to catch my breath or pinch myself,” she snuggles into his shoulder. “You’re my present.”

“And you're not mine?” he whispers into her hair. Instead of popping, the bubble of euphoria has swelled even bigger each day. He feels her smile against his skin.

“No, I am,” she runs a finger down his chest. “But you’re _really_ gonna like these.”

He snorts into her hair. He believes her.

*****

“The Wyatt Family, ladies and gentlemen,” Ben throws up his hands in frustration as they shuffle through the front door. The Christmas Eve plan was to go to his dad’s, have dinner, catch up with Henry and Steph and then spend Christmas Day alone, together, opening presents and watching movies.

That is no longer the plan.

Because Steven Wyatt’s girlfriend, Ulani, is pregnant.

Oh, and Steven had also growled “It’s family dinner, what the hell’s Leslie doing here?” which had made Ben freak out _because he’d already explained they were married_ and Henry had dragged him into the other room to shout at the wall.

 _She's family_ , he’d blasted. _Even if we weren’t married, she’d be family._

Which was sweet. Her husband was sweet. Ulani had then asked Leslie if she’d lost a bet or gotten pregnant and that’s why they’d tied the knot.

It was not a great night.

So now, in wake of the pregnancy announcement and tensions running high, Henry, Ellie and Steph were crashing at their place which, thankfully, had been cleaned out significantly since Ben moved in.

“He’s just…ridiculous and inconsiderate and I can’t…fuck,” Ben kicks the wall and Steph curls up in a ball on the couch and drops her head into her hands. Ellie lifts an eyebrow and Leslie has never been more glad for another person in the room with her.

“My favorite part was when he told us they put out a Christmas letter with that in it and sent it to Mom. Remember all those years Mom wanted him to help her write the letter?”

“My favorite part was when he asked what the hell was wrong with you after you told him guys got married,” Steph shut her eyes.

Ben slumps too, beside his sister, and sighs.

“Merry Christmas.”

Henry snorts. “You have alcohol?” Ben gestures to the kitchen and Ellie licks her lips.

“Hey. At least… at least you have each other, right?” Leslie tries gently. “And at least we have room and you guys can have Christmas here - ”

“Les, seriously, just give it a rest,” Ben snaps in a tone she rarely hears. He’d been silent on the drive home while she tried to put a positive spin on things, but he was clearly not silent anymore. Henry pokes his head back in and lifts an eyebrow. Ellie stiffens and Leslie swallows, feeling more hurt that Ben won’t even look at her than anything.

“Alcohol,” Henry repeats and returns to the kitchen. Ellie touches her arm. 

“Can I help you…do anything?”

Leslie clears her throat. “I’ll just get you stuff for the couch, Steph.”

“Thanks,” Stephanie smiles apologetically. Leslie excuses herself upstairs and Ellie follows with a heavy sigh.

_*****_

It’s later and Steph’s dozing off on the couch after a fair amount of wine, and Henry and Ellie are puttering around in the hall, taking turns in the bathroom and finding little reasons to touch each other reassuringly. Which is adorable, and they’re adorable, and Leslie loves Ellie a lot and can’t wait for Henry to propose, and she kind of wishes he would do it tomorrow so she could be there to catch it on video tape but he said February, so -

“I’m sorry,” her internal ramblings are interrupted by Ben’s warm arms sliding around her, nose in her no-longer-neat curls. He has also had a fair amount of wine - and some weird rum drink Henry had concocted. His breath is hot and his arms are secure, but malleable.

“It’s okay.”

“It just made me so mad,” he admits softly. “Like, what was that? Even if we weren’t married you’re still family.”

Her husband gets a little sappy when he’s slightly inebriated.

“And I love you so, so much, and you’re my family and the only family that matters, and if he doesn’t get that then…whatever, suck it, Dad.”

He’s nuzzling her a little aggressively and swaying. “You, Leslie Knope, my _wife,_ are my family.”

Okay, alcohol-induced sappiness or not, that makes her tear up. She reaches back to palm his cheek, still kind of unable to process that this time last year she was sleeping at her mom’s, pining for Ben.

“I love you too,” she whispers, twisting back for a kiss.

“HEY, YOUR OTHER FAMILY OUT HERE CAN HEAR YOU STILL, SO CAN YOU KEEP IT DOWN WHEN YOU HAVE MAKEUP SEX?”

Leslie’s face flames as Henry’s voice filters through the door and Ben growls and pulls away.

“Uhhhhh, it’s our house and our bed and _my wife_ so we will do whatever we want as loud as we want!” He slams their door shut for good measure. Leslie laughs softly, because only drunk Ben would be okay with his brother hearing them.

“Are we having makeup sex now?” he breathes, lifting her against him and stealing her breath with a kiss. Leslie snickers and palms his cheek.

“That wasn’t really a fight, honey.”

“Are we haaaving…” he shuffles them back and they fall onto the bed joined. “It’s Christmas Eve and you’re the best wife ever and I love you so much, sex?”

“Mhmmmm,” she finds his lips again. “Now that sounds perfect. Is there - ”

“I’ll get you a mug that says that.”

“And - ”

“A framed certificate so you can show people.”

She grins and pushes him onto his back for another kiss. He knows her so well.

*****

Ben wakes up the next morning to an empty bed and, no headache, thankfully, but also surprisingly no Leslie.

And a cell phone message from his dad.

It is not the start to Christmas he had planned.

He gets up gingerly, throwing on a pair of grey lounge pants and a t-shirt and makes his way to the guest bedroom. The door’s open a crack and he knocks softly. Henry calls him inside hoarsely and Ben notices Ellie is also not in bed, and Steph’s cranky, self-deprived form has taken her place.

“They're making breakfast,” she grumbles. “I think bacon though, so that’s nice.”

“Coffee,” is the only word Henry can manage, Steph’s squishing closer to him so Ben can flop too.

“Fuck, I’m so hungover,” Steph whines. “Next year I’m staying with Mom for Christmas. Alone.”

“Uhhhh, I was supposed to have Christmas with Leslie alone all day today - ”

“ _Ew_ ,” both siblings in unison.

“Not like _that_.”

Okay, a little like that, but not _only_ like that. She just really likes having sex by the tree.

“- And I invited you here because Dad was being a jerk.”

“He called,” Henry reaches over for his phone. “Left a long - for Dad - message about how he’s sorry and hopes you’ll forgive him.”

“Yeah,” Ben smushes his face into the pillow. “On mine he says he’s sorry and to apologize to Leslie.”

“I feel so bad for Mom.”

“She gets her own digs in, don’t feel too bad,” Henry cracks his back. He tended to give their Dad the benefit of the doubt while Steph did the same with their Mom. Ben just generally thought everyone was insane and avoided picking sides.

“Also,” Steph stretches. “I’m a little hurt Henry was at your wedding and I wasn’t.”

“You were in Minnesota. It was too last minute. We’ll…have a party or something and you can come to that.”

“Fine,” she sighs. “Seriously though, Benji, thanks for letting us stay. I would’ve hated being at Dad’s today.”

“And a motel would’ve sucked,” Henry admits with a shudder. “A Pawnee motel. Gross.”

“He’s pretentious now.”

Ben snorts and rubs his face. “There’s Advil in the bathroom. I should go see if I can help or something.”

“And then we’ll do presents,” Steph slaps his leg. “There’s a million under the tree. Is your wife an elf?”

“An elf with political ambitions,” Henry snickers. “Who wants to start us on the trivia circuit.”

Ben smiles. Yup, that’s his wife, a million presents wrapped and ready to go to make everyone feel important and special. Including his sometimes surly siblings and their significant other…

She’s the best.

Leslie’s got her waffle iron out and is working on creating a stack so huge it could topple over any second when he enters the kitchen. As Steph had said, there were at least two dozen colourful wrapped packages under the tree that hadn’t been there the night before. Ellie’s manning the coffee pot, putting cream and sugar on a silver tray and turning some bacon occasionally. They’re chatting happily about how late everyone else is sleeping - it’s just after 7:30AM - and how happy they are the other person is there to keep them company.

“Henry gets mad at me if I wake him up before eight on weekends.”

Leslie cackles, light and airy, like last night wasn’t borderline traumatic and he didn’t snap at her for no reason.

“I have a stack of notepads and binders beside my - our,” she blushes. “I keep doing that.”

Ellie waves her off. “You’ll stop. It’s new still. I bet post-honeymoon all that goes away.”

Leslie grins and adds another round of waffles to the stack, just as Ben walks in.

“Hey, honey, good morning! Merry Christmas! We’re making breakfast. Are Steph and Henry up?”

He nods, waves at Ellie as she excuses herself with a smile, and then pulls Leslie in.

“I’m so sorry about everything - ”

“Stop,” she pats his chest, smoothing her palms over it. “It was stressful and it’s totally fine.”

Ben sighs and wraps her up, kissing all over her face and squeezing as tightly as he dares. She laughs and rubs his back.

“Merry Christmas, you did…all of this?”

“Of course! It wasn’t the plan, but I want everyone to have a nice day,” he starts to slide his lips over hers, but the talking continues. “And I started our scrapbook! Our First Christmas scrapbook. It’s over there,” she gestures to the table. It’s green and red, with stencilled letters and glitter that reads _Leslie and Ben’s First Married Christmas._

The first set of pictures is from them decorating the house, Leslie in a Santa hat. Then there’s putting up the lights outside the house, followed by photos from their work parties. On and on it goes, page after page, up to and including last night and…this morning?

There are pictures of him sleeping, naked, with the covers pulled up passed his waist, thankfully.

“Babe, that’s…a little…uh, creepy.”

“Nooooo, Ben, it’s our first Christmas and you looked so cute. My cute, sexy husband who I love so much.”

Ben chuckles because he’s so easy for her. He kisses Leslie again, slowly, tongue probing her lips. She tastes like icing and he doesn’t even want to know what she’d eaten before he woke up. He slides his hands up her sides, rubbing her warm curves through her t-shirt with a picture of Santa on it and then giving her butt a squeeze through snowflake fleece pants. She giggles into the kiss.

“I can’t wait for our honeymoon.”

Ben presses his mouth to her forehead. She’s going to be ready to go back to work by day three, he’s fairly certain. “Me too.”

“Okay,” she claps her hands. “So, can you help me take the coffee out and we’ll eat in front of the tree and then open presents?”

His couldn’t love anyone more. He hopes she knows that.

*****

He’s so… _relaxed._ Ben’s never been this relaxed around his family, not even Henry. They’re usually trying to one-up each other with snarky remarks, (and yes, Henry had implied he’d _heard them_ last night, which made Ben growl a few times,) but now they’re just…happy.  Presents opened, sipping coffee, chatting about what they’d gotten each other and how amazing Leslie is at gift giving…

Ben’s arm is around her, they’re snuggled on the love seat and he’s thumbing both their rings absentmindedly, a little smile playing on his lips. Leslie rests her forehead against his neck and grins. She’s already called Ann in Michigan and the dinner is prepped and ready to go, and everything was unplanned, but it’s perfect.

Which is basically their motto for the month of December.

“So, teams?” Ellie gestures to the unopened Trivial Pursuit. “What about you guys versus me and Leslie?”

“That’s not fair,” Steph squirms. “We’ll be uneven.”

“Uhhhhh,” Ellie lifts a cocky eyebrow in Leslie’s direction. “I _think_ we’ll be okay.”

Leslie cackles because she’s _totally_ ready to destroy her husband and his siblings at Trivial Pursuit and Ellie wants to help.

“Wait, I’m sorry, you think you can beat us?” Henry tugs on her messy bun. “Oh, sweetheart. You’re about to get your ass handed to you.”

Ellie snickers, thumbing the diamond necklace Henry had given her and biting her lip. It’s easily the most affectionate Leslie has ever seen them and they’re sweet and adorable and she couldn’t _wait_ for Henry to propose so she could make them a wedding planning scrapbook and help Ellie with everything.

Ben looks sleepy and Leslie can’t blame him, he’d tossed and turned a lot all night. Maybe they should take a nap after the game…

Or sneak upstairs and have really awesome newlywed Christmas Day sex. Both options sound pretty great.

And planned or not, she's spending Christmas at home with her husband. What more could she ask for? 


End file.
